Pages

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — Tempers are flaring over a version of the American flag flying in Lake County. A veterans group says the flag is an outrage.

The flag, which features a picture of President Obama, was taken down Tuesday afternoon.

Korean war veteran Don Van Beck said his blood was boiling.

"I can't describe how upset was because you just don't do that to the American flag," Van Beck said.

Van Beck found it flying outside Lake County Democratic headquarters under the stars and stripes. Marine Corps vet John Masterjohn was seeing red.

"Joseph Stalin, pictures of Mao, pictures of Adolph Hitler. The pomp, the ceremony -- the flags like that," Masterjohn said.

Nearly a dozen veterans went to the door and aimed to take it down.

"No. This is private property. This is private property. You're not allowed to touch anything. I'll call the police," Democratic Party chairwoman Nancy Hulbert said. "Just went online. Just went online and looked up the flag code. There is no higher-up in Lake County. I'm responsible. I take responsibility."

"If you've been a veteran and fought -- and some died for this flag -- you don't want to see it desecrated. That's how simple it is," Van Beck said.

This picture of the crowd that attended Saturday's "Restoring Honor" rally in Washington, D.C., is guaranteed to drive liber...

Why we publish...

"AS LONG AS I AM AN AMERICAN CITIZEN AND AMERICAN BLOOD RUNS IN THESE VEINS I SHALL HOLD MYSELF AT LIBERTY TO SPEAK, TO WRITE, AND TO PUBLISH WHATEVER I PLEASE ON ANY SUBJECT" ---- Elijah Parish Lovejoy (1802-1837)